“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” — Mark Twain
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INDEPENDENT AUTHORS
First up, Peter Midnight from The Storyhive.
The wings of the angel might belong to the angel of death… — The Storyhive, Peter Midnight
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From the inimitable J. Brandon Lowry, the short story, The Dredger (2018), a peculiar tale of a reckless scientist tasked with investigating a dangerous bat cave. Its a fascinating tale (especially since I can’t ever recall reading a story that made guano scary) and exceptionally well written, as ominous as it is uplifting. Considering that it is an abridged version of the story it will be interesting to read the unabridged version whenever it comes out.
“-it is within such tales that we stare death in its cold, empty eyes and rejoice that we are indeed still alive.” — J. Brandon Lowry, The Dredger
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Also well worth reading, Break Up, Break Down, & Break Face by @paulblakeauthor, a moving story of betrayal, loss and the value and rarity of loyalty.
“No,” she said.
It took a moment for the words to sink in. This wasn’t right. That’s not how it goes. I opened my mouth to say something. Anything. Nothing came out. I closed my mouth. Opened it. Closed it. Like a fucking Hungry Hippo. Grasping for the right words. The plastic pill to change her answer.
“Get up. You’re making a scene. And put that thing away,” the disgust on her face was plain to see. — P. Blake, Break Up…
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And lastly, Between The Stars by Sable Whisper, a gripping, slow-boiling space-thriller.
The twenty-four crewmembers of Icarus-3 were all dead.
Telemetry from their personal monitors no vital signs, but the ship’s own systems had been locked, so even Control could not gain access; no remote control or data capture would be possible. Only its location was available, one of the few things almost impossible to conceal from Command.
And so, the case had fallen to me. — S. Whisper, Between The Stars
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INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS
From 101 Words, The Tome by Justin Williams. Excellent flash fiction.
“I’m in this book…?”
“Everyone is.” — J. Williams, The Tome
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From X-R-A-Y, Jon Berger debuts his heady short story, Plant Replant detailing the psychosis of drug culture.
“The next morning I’m driving back to my Grandmas still high and cozy, speeding down the bumpy road in my 98’ Bonneville with too many miles on it. Gridded up farm fields on all sides. These giant white windmills were being built in the middle of the fields to collect energy. Looking like Godzilla seagulls waving around lost with nothing to break.” — J. Berger, Plant Replant
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From Terror House Magazine; Punchline by Michael Carter. A delirious and beautifully written piece of flash fiction.
Perhaps an office worker could awaken from uneasy dreams to find himself transformed into an insect; perhaps a jilted girl’s unhappiness could flood the world with tears. — M. Carter, Punchline
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LITERARY EPHEMERA
Wrestling reviewer and short fiction author, Baron Zach M., announces that his novel is well-underway. We’re looking forward to reading it.
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The true-crime film Gosnell, which follows the trial of serial killer abortionist, Kermit Gosnell, hit #1 in New Drama on Amazon; a book of the same name is available on Amazon. Gosnell crimes received very little coverage and even after he was put away, few enough know his name or deeds which was likely a consequence of the political atmosphere which looked upon any vocal opposition to abortion as being against women (and since most of Gosnell’s “patients” were black, one was likely to be called not just a woman-hater, but a “racist” as well). It is therefore fortunate that this sordid episode has received such a thorough treatment, that it may better elucidate many of the frequent (and frequently unremarked upon) horrors of the abortion industry and those who aid and abet it.
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Lastly, Mick Ryan has a fascinating article up concerning the usefulness of sci-fi to real-world military thought and practice.
Reading science fiction reinforces the enduring nature of war. Finally, science fiction permits us to test the principles of war in force design. Based on two millennia (or more) of human conflict, science fiction can provide another framework to assess the continuing value of these principles, and the enduring nature of war as described by Clausewitz. — M. Ryan, Science Fiction, JPME & The Australian Defense College
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END NOTES
Thanks for reading. We’re always happy to take recommendations for authors and publishers to include in our weekly circular, if you know any, feel free to email us (logosliterature@yandex.com) or write to the site administrator directly.
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